


Caress of Flame

by TheMedJack



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: @ the faint of heart you've been WARNED, The Death Cure, im sorry??? i guess??? i cried writing this so there's that, major angst, tdc movie, wicked finale scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-06-11 19:25:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15322569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMedJack/pseuds/TheMedJack
Summary: Teresa's final thoughts as she and Thomas try to escape the flaming WICKED tower to get to the berg.





	Caress of Flame

**Author's Note:**

> *I do not own TMR or any of its characters

She could feel the sting of the heat claw its way up her arm as the flames engulfed the world around her. Every breath was harder than the last as its intensity continued to climb, setting her lungs on fire. It was starting to become too much to bear as her vision blurred. 

Soon she’d be unconscious, lost to the darkness as her brain struggled for the quickly-depleting oxygen that her brain so desperately needed. Lost to the sea of flame that would soon consume her. 

Her…and Thomas. 

Teresa pried herself away from where she’d buried her face in Thomas’ shoulder, tightening her grip on his shoulders to steady him. The sight before her sent shiver through her chest that cascaded down her spine, constricting her breath. Even through her clouded gaze, the volume of blood that soaked Thomas’ shirt was all-too visible. 

She needed more time, more supplies. 

If she’d just grabbed her the first aid kit by the door as she and Thomas made for the roof…she could’ve helped him. She could’ve _saved_ him. But now, they were both doomed to die in this hellfire, the small vial with blue serum in Thomas’ pocket along with it. 

And soon the rest of the world would follow, succumbing to pure devastation of the Flare. 

The world that she vowed to save. She thought she could protect them all and give the world what her friends could offer them. After her mother died, she once dreamt that she would heal the world and find peace. But now, that all seemed so futile. 

An explosive detonation of a missile suddenly shook the building, making her cling to Thomas even tighter. Panels of the roof began to fracture, plummeting into the thick smoke that loomed just beneath them. She could hear screams piercing through the air like daggers, coming from all directions below. This violence, this fighting. This was not the world that she had pictured. 

What was she thinking? How could she have saved them all? This virus was designed _by_ humans to _kill_ humans. Could they really ever be saved from their own actions, their own poor decisions that would ultimately lead to their inevitable downfall? 

Tears welled in her eyes, her throat closing so tightly she could barely breathe. She’d been a part of WICKED since the beginning, and now she’d failed them all. 

She'd failed Thomas. 

The only reason he came back was because of her, because of what she found in his blood. If she hadn’t taken the cloth with his blood, hadn’t shown Ava what she’d done…Thomas would safe. With their friends, getting out of the city together. The cure is lost anyway, about to be denatured by the heat of the flames closing in on them. 

Everything she’d done, everything she’d gone through, all of the sacrifices she’d made. It was all in vain.

A shudder in her arms drew her gaze downwards, to the nearly lifeless body resting in her arms. She had to blink her eyes again and again, tears streaking down her face as the smoke seemed to singe her eyes. Thomas was trembling now, his arms contracted into his chest as he coughed and hacked at the polluted air. 

Slowly, as if she’d break him, she reached down and ever so gently brushed her hand across his cheek. “I’m so sorry,” She choked, her voice cracking as she inhaled another breath of the noxious gas engulfing her. She had so much to say to him as he laid there, losing consciousness in her arms. 

She just needed more time, just one chance to tell him everything. But they only had minutes left now, if they were lucky. Carefully, she nudged Thomas’ shoulder, her eyes locked on his closed ones. She shook him again and again, growing more desperate with every attempt. A cry of desperation escaped her lips as Thomas flinched and opened his eyes. 

There was so little light left in those eyes, the eyes she’d seen from across the lab every day. The eyes she’d seen when she first woke up in the maze. The eyes she’d caught in the city when Thomas confronted her. But the eyes she stared at now…those were not his eyes. They were the eyes of Chuck. Of Alby. Of Winston.

She saw nothing but death in his eyes. 

With a shuttering breath, she drew every bit of energy she had left to tell him everything she needed to. Her eyes stared into his, telling a story deep within them of the world she thought she could save. Of the world that they could live in together, finally at peace with their friends. “I tried,” Were the only words she could force from her mouth, her own consciousness starting to slip from her grasp. 

But as the world around her blurred into fire and ash, she saw the very same story in Thomas’ eyes. The same desire to save their friends, just in different ways. And for one fleeting moment, his stare gained a flash of life. With a shaking hand, Thomas reached up and latched his hand tightly onto Teresa’s shoulder. “I know,” He whispered, the words bare audible over the screams of the fires and fighting surrounding them. 

Then everything stilled as the world slowed down. The building shook wildly beneath them, rocking back and forth on its foundation. But the rattles of metal beams and shatters of glass windows seemed to fade, the cries and booms from below drifting away with the wind. The smoke and ash and fog hung still in the air as she held Thomas tighter. 

Trapped in the eye of the hurricane, catastrophic chaos in every direction, the pair let the world around them fall into nothing. Darkness closed in as they held each other’s gaze, telling each other everything they needed to hear without uttering a single word. Despite their hates and their fears and their sorrows, at least they were here together. 

At least they wouldn't die alone. 

Thomas’ head fell against her shoulder as she buried her face in his hair once again, feeling the life of her friend once more in her embrace as he drifted away with the rest of the world. If only she’d done things differently, if only she’d done _more_.

If only she could save him. 

But as she succumbed to the calls of sleep that left lingering whispers in her ear, beams of white light struck them through the smoke. She listened, stepping back towards the light in her mind as she heard the rumble of an engine a dozen meters away. Her head shot up, her eyes remaining wide with pure shock despite the sting of the smoke and heat that pelted her face. It wasn’t until the smoke cleared, forced off the edges of the roof from a strong blast of air, did she finally see it. 

A berg. 

Just ahead, hovering in the air as it spun, was a _chance_ to save him. A chance that she refused to waste. 

With a new-found strength that she didn’t know she had, she gripped Thomas under his arms and stood. She gritted her teeth in pain as she lunged forward, dragging both her and Thomas’ weight towards the edge of the roof. Shouts from the berg could be heard over the rumbles of broken stone and concrete below, and she angled herself to head directly towards those voices. 

Tears mixed with ash fell down her face now, leaving streaks of gray across both cheeks. Everything hurt, and every _burned_. The fire crept towards them as they moved, lurking behind them like a predator hunting its prey. Its intensity was almost overwhelming at this point, draining the energy faster from her body than she could regenerate it. 

“CLOSER!” A male voice called, something familiar in its commanding tone. 

She willed herself to drag Thomas another few meters, until they were close enough to see their rescuers’ faces. And at the sight, she let out a gasp of recognition as she cried out to them for help. It was them. 

Minho, Gally, Frypan, Brenda. Other faces she didn’t recognize. Then her mind flashed to Newt. He’d started showing symptoms the last time she’d seen him, but he still had time. His absent face made her wonder whether he’d started to slip, if they had to tie him to one of the seats. But he could be saved, if she could save Thomas. 

And is she saved him, then she’d know that at least one thing she’d do wouldn’t be in vain. 

“CLOSER!” She heard again, now realizing the first yell had come from Gally. 

They all had their hands extended to her now, reaching as far as they could from the berg without falling over the edge themselves. The desperation in their eyes, the fear. She’d seen that look so many times before. And too many times, someone couldn’t be saved. But not this time, not again. 

Thomas had come to once again, weakly extending his hand towards the others as Teresa pulled him to a standing position. She groaned as her arms screamed in pain, but she refused to let him go. A desperate cry escaped her lips as Thomas’ fingers brushed one of their hands, just missing reaching distance. 

With a sharp eye, she studied the berg, its movements and how it swayed slightly in the air from side to side. She watched its timing, how it got slightly closer after lowering down a bit. Waiting, timing her attempts with the subtle lurches of the berg, she fixed her grasp on Thomas to be more stable. Less than ten seconds passed before she tried again, pushing Thomas forward just as the berg began its short descent towards the building. 

She knew she’d timed it perfectly. Quickly adding more upward force to the push, she yelled as the pain in her lungs and arms overwhelmed her. Her heart stopped in her chest as she watched Thomas sloppily leap towards the nearest hand, catching it in his palm.

The group pulled him up frantically, everyone placing a hand on him and too scared to let him go again. And as soon as his legs were up and over the ledge of the platform, she let out a cry of immense relief as the weight of the world suddenly seemed to slide right off her shoulders. 

She looked into his eyes, and as if he could sense it, he rolled over to his side to look into hers. The look of his expression was wild, full of shock and worry and fear. But all she could do was stare back with calm and comforting eyes, telling him that it was okay. Just as he had with her. 

Gally reached down once he saw that Thomas was safely away from the ledge, calling out to her to take his hand. She stepped forward to the very edge of the building, feeling the structure begin to teeter again beneath her feet. Her arms shot out to balance herself before she could look back up again to study the berg’s movements. 

Up, left, left, right, up, down. She had to jump when it started to move down again, it was the only time they’d be close enough for her to reach Gally’s hand. 

Up. 

Left. 

A whistle through the air drew her attention to the side, and she looked with her peripheral vision to see something big fly past the building and strike the one next to her. 

Left. 

She risked a quick glance back, only for her heart to race in horror at the sight of the top half of the adjacent building completely demolished, consumed by missile and flame. She turned back to Gally, her hands shaking as more adrenaline rushed through her veins. 

Right.

A thundering boom seemed to shake the entire world as she turned again, only to see the damaged, fiery structure now plummeting towards the WICKED building at full speed. It struck with a massive force, sending her to her knees. The collision with so much debris that it sent a thick cloud of dust and ash into the air, blocking out the roof almost completely. 

But even through the mess, she could feel as the panels of the roof began to snap and fall into the abyss below. There wasn’t time, not for her. But, to her surprise, she felt no fear. Instead, as she stood and walked towards the edge of the building again, she caught Thomas’ frantic gaze. 

She studied their faces, every detail and every expression, suddenly welcoming to invading heat around her as if it were an old friend. Embracing the flame, she only felt acceptance. Thomas would live, because of her. And he would finally be able to find peace with their friends, away from this dark and dangerous world. 

In her mind, visions of a new world flashed before her, full of life and beauty and resurgence. The world was not gone, not completely. Thomas and everyone else, they’d help protect it, nurture it, and learn to live in it. 

And for her, that was enough.

As she felt the panel behind her start to shake, she held her gaze with Thomas and offered the truest smile she could give him. She told him so much with her eyes, and she knew he saw it when he returned the same expression. A single tear fell from the corner of his eye. 

Guilt. Regret. But no hatred. Instead, there was understanding. 

All at once, those feelings in her chest rushed through her body until she felt numb. She felt weightless, free, as the panel beneath her collapsed and gave way. Gravity pulled her down every so gently, caressing her as it guided her to her fate. A fate that she didn’t fear as she stared into Thomas’ eyes as he screamed and thrashed. 

It’s okay, because he’s okay. 

She didn’t feel the pull to the ground, the strong rush of air against her back, the shrieks of metal as it tore into pieces around her, the burn of flame in her lungs as she sucked in the air above her. 

They were going to make it. 

She could feel the same sense of faith rush through her entire body as she watched everyone's faces fade into the thickness of the smoke as it rose. 

The _world_ was going to make it. 

And as they faded into the darkness of the smoke, she let herself do the same. She closed her eyes, letting her arms flow freely at her sides as she braced for the inevitable impact that she knew would come. 

Both they and the world would heal, in time.

Shards of metal and blocks of concrete surged past her, scraping against her arms and legs. But she did not feel them, nor could she sense the hot embers that gently landed on her body, their glow making her one with the fire surrounding her. She felt no burn. The warmth of the fire she once found pain in now soothed her. That, and the air against her back as she descended. 

As she sense the distance between her and the end draw near, her final thoughts drifted to her to the faces of those she’d met, those she’d hurt, those she’d betrayed, those she’d protected, those she’d failed, and those she’d loved. 

She was back in the Glade but there were no walls. No maze. Just each other at a bonfire surrounded by all of those same faces she’d pictured. They laughed and joked, arms around each other’s shoulders, passing Frypan’s stew around the circle to share. 

It was a world she’d never known, one without war or famine or hatred. Her heart fluttered with hope as she smiled, tears brimming at her eyes at the sight. The world she'd strived for all this time. And now, this world was a possibility, even though she wouldn’t live to see it. 

As her body collided full-force with the damaged earth, she saw Thomas across the fire. He sat with Newt, both of them laughing as Newt spoke with a grin on his face. But then Thomas’ eyes found hers, and just for the briefest moment, he smiled at her. 

It was enough, she’d thought to herself when the end finally came and the world around her blinked out of existence. To save them both. 

It was enough.


End file.
